Page 1 of Fascinated with the Mountain Man

CHAPTER ONE

Aster

I stretchedmy legs and arms and rose from the bed, used to my five o’clock wake-up call by now. Like clockwork, the chickens clucked and squealed, and the cows mooed every morning, signaling the day had begun.

But just like every morning, I rose from bed with a smile on my face and a beautiful woman on my mind.

Jolene Alves.

Her shining blue eyes and golden sun-kissed blond hair, her big smile she always saved for me, and her sweet smell of lavender lotion—my favorite things about her.

As I brushed my teeth and washed my face, I thought of her. As I dressed for the day, poured some coffee down my throat, and made my way outside to care for my animals, I thought of her. I should be used to it by now, but for some reason, I wasn’t.

My thoughts ran a mile a minute while I worked my way through my morning chore list. With two cows, ten chickens, a couple of cats, and three dogs, I was a busy guy. But I loved it. Growing up an orphan, I didn’t have much family, and now theseanimals had become the family I never had. If only Jolene would become my family, too.

All I wanted was to see her, and lately, the cravings were only getting worse. How much longer could I hold off? I stole small pieces of time with her whenever I could, like when I spotted her in town having ice cream with Sammy, Cash’s two-year-old son, and I joined in or when we hung out at Sammy’s birthday party. But it wasn’t enough. It was never enough.

I’d been in love with my best friend’s little sister since the moment I laid eyes on her six years ago. I arrived in Apple Falls, broke and homeless, hungry and lost, and stumbled upon an apple orchard owned by the Leon family. They took me in as one of their own, set me to work on the farm, and in return, gave me food and a place to stay. Cash, their son who also worked on the farm, became one of my closest friends.

The cow I’d had the longest bumped her head into my backside, and I chuckled as I turned around and scratched her ears. Daisy loved the attention. “But you aren’t broken like me, are you, sweet Daisy girl? No, you are perfect.” I cooed at her, and she responded by licking me with her long tongue.

Another young guy, Caden, who worked on the farm and was close with Cash, also had a not-so-great family life. We bonded over our similar pasts, and the three of us soon became thick as thieves. The only issue?

Jolene, Caden’s younger sister.

At only nineteen years old, my heart already knew what it wanted.

Her.

But she was two years my junior and completely off-limits. Caden made thatveryclear. In fact, he barely let her out of his sight for long. I was surprised she was allowed to have friends.

I understood his protectiveness, especially since he practically raised her, but she also needed room to grow andblossom. Because I knew without a doubt, Jolene Alves was something special.

Yet sometimes I wondered if he was right. Maybe she was too special for me. Maybe I was too broken for her.

Jolene saw the beauty in the world in a way I never could. I refused to let my darkness dim her light. I was too broken of a man inside. And she deserved far better than I could ever give her. But selfishly, I wanted her. I’d spend my whole life loving her and giving her the world. Wasn’t that enough?

After working on the farm for a couple of years, I eventually got my own place and started making money. I saved every penny, finally bought my farm, and got my own chickens and cows, and here we were.

I finished my chores, showered, and gathered the fresh eggs and milk I’d sell to the local town market. Then I’d be back to milk my cows and collect my eggs before starting the evening chores. I would also fill any orders I got directly from townsfolk and make necessary deliveries. Same things, different day.

But today, I found myself pulling to a stop in front of Cash and Caden’s orchard after the market. I probably shouldn’t have driven by because then I wouldn’t have seen Jolene’s car parked out front, and I wouldn’t be parking my truck and walking up the drive.

I found Cash, Leighton, Caden, Veda, and Jolene sitting in the backyard, with Sammy playing in his sandbox, one of the many gifts from his recent birthday.

“Wow, so am I not invited to gatherings around here anymore?” I teased as I walked up to them.

Cash laughed, and Caden smirked, a bit of a side-eye coming from his direction. I ignored it and turned my head toward the one person I wanted to see.

The big smile Jolene saved for me was there, along with her shining blue eyes, and I couldn’t help but smile warmly back.“Of course you are! Here, I saved a seat for you,” Jolene said, pointing at the empty chair beside her.

I laughed. There were always six seats out here, but her sentiment was sweet. “I actually can’t stay. Just stopping in on my way through. I gotta get back to the farm.”

“Aw, okay,” Jolene said. “Need any help?”

I froze, my spine stiffening. She’d never asked that before, especially not with her brother mere feet away. I shot her a quizzical look. “Uh, no, that’s okay, but thanks.”

“Since when do you want to help on the farm?” Caden asked, his tone short.

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